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No. 784,149. PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905.

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APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 20, 1903.

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@Wwau {W No. 784,149. PATENTEI) MAR. 7, 1905. A. G. FITZ.

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APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 20, 1903.

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*rieivar tlriricla SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,149, dated March 7, 1905.

' Application filed March 20, 1903. Serial No. 148,702.

To (all whom, if; may concern:

Be it known that I, Amos G. Frrz, a citizen of the United States, residing at Auburn, in the county of Androscoggin and State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lasts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in lasts. Its object isto provide a transverselydivided last joined together by connecting means which permit one part to have movement relative to the other for shortening the last, with means for automatically and yieldingly locking the parts both in lengthened and shortened relation, the locking force being snflicient to prevent accidental dislodgment from either position. Its object is, further, to divide thelast on a line which shall begin at the bottom in front of the heel-plate and terminate at the top in the rear of the crown of the last and at the same time permit the heel part to move forward relative to the fore part sulficiently to permit in its shortened relation easy insertion and withdrawal from the shoe. Its object is, further, to render the last capable of resisting enormous pressure applied to the bottom of the last, the heel and toe being supported from the top.

In the several figures of the drawings illustrating the spirit and scope of my invention I have shown various ways of dividing the last, various ways of inserting the locking device, various means for resisting downward pressure. and various ways of securing the shortening effect.

In the drawings herewith accom panying and making a part of this application, Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of my improved last, showing the yielding locking device positioned in the fore part and operating against the end of the upper connecting-link. It also shows the forward end of the heel part excavated, so as to give entrance to the rear end of the fore part at the top when the heel part is moved upward and forward. Figs. 2

Fig. t is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of alast having a portion removed from the heel part intermediate the top and bottom and transversely thereof, so as to form a transverse open space which when the fore part is moved upwardly and forwardly gives entrance to the top of the fore part, thus permitting the heel part to move forward farther than it otherwise would. Fig. 5 is a central vertical sectional view showing a dillerent-shaped link and a d ifferentlypositioned locking device and also showing a gap or recess formed in the heel part intermediate the sides adapted to give entrance to the projecting crown of the fore part when the heel part is moved upwardly for greater shortening of the last. Fig. 6 a perspective view of the same. Fig. 7 is a central vertical sectional view of alast, showing the lower link provided with a transversely extending bar adapted to [it into grooves between the abnttii'ig surfaces when the abutting surfaces are in contact in their normal position; and Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the locking means positioned in the heel part and operating against the lower link.

In said drawings, A represents the fore part, and B the heel part. The parts are connected'by suitable unions, and while I do not in'- tend to be limited to the use of two unions l find that in practical operation a more desirable joint-surface can be maintained where two links are employed. as with this construe tion there is no irregular movement of the parts one relative to the other, so that there by a better regulated engagement of the looking device with the link can be secured. In Fig.1 I have shown the last divided by a single transverse cut in a single plane and the parts connected by two links U and I), one posi-- tio'ned above the other and one in this case the upper one having one end l projecting forwardly beyond the pivot and into engage ment with a spring member secured to the fore part. A convmiionl; and eliective arrangement of the spring member is to mount a coil-springF in a chamber (i in the fore part and provide a rounded head F for the spring; but the spring member may be formed in any convenient way and still be within the scope and spirit of my invention. The position of the link relative to the spring member is such that when the last is in its normal position it tends to hold the heel part down by a direct thrust against the end which projects beyond the pivot-point. IVhen the heel part is turned upwardly into shortened relation, the end of the link in contact with the spring member changes its position relative to the same, the point of contact passing from the top of the spring member to the side thereof, crowding the end of the spring member laterally and frictionally locking the parts in contact in shortened relation. The same is true of the device shown in Figs. at, 5, and 7, while in Fig. 8 the spring member is located in the heel part and operates upon the lower connection; but the principle of operation is the same. It will thus be seen that the spring member may be located in the fore part or heel part. It may operate against the lower or the upper link, and it will be understood that locating the spring member in either part of the last and in engagement with either link or either end of the link will be within the spirit and scope of my invention. To make the lock firmer in its shortened relation, I provide a recess H in the end thereof, so that as the last tips up the head of the spring member passes into said recess. This construction is shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and an equivalent construction is shown in Figs. 5 and 7, wherein the link is provided with a slight projection I, so that when the heel part is turned up the head of the spring member passes beyond the point of said projection, thus making a firmer lock. The links are located in vertical sockets J and Kin the heel part and fore part, respectively, and for convenience the top side of the upper link and the under side of the lower link may be recessed, as seen at L, so as to permit a greater movement of the heel part with a given depth of the sockets, as isillustrated in Fig. 1. In Figs. 1, 2-, and 3 I have shown a recess or excavation M in the forward end of the heel part to give entrance to the rear end of the upper part of the fore part when the heel part is moved forward and upward, as seen in dotted lines. Fig. 1. The fact that the last tapers upwardly facilitates this operation, the excavation being made in the wide part and engaging with the narrow part. In Fig. 4 I have shown a transverse rearwardly-extending angular opening M, forming a forward projection N on the heel part at the top, terminating against the wall of the fore part, so that when the heel part is tipped upwardly and forwardly this projection overhangs the top of the fore part, as clearly seen in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the lower wall 0 moving forward into contact with the rear wall of the fore part, thus accomplishing substantially the same purpose as the recess shown in Figs. 1 and 2. I accomplish the same result in Figs.

5, 6, 7, and 8 by makinga recess Pin the heel part adapted to receive the rearwardly-projecting crown of the last when the heel part is moved upwardly and forwardly relative to the fore part. Although not necessary if the recess in the heel part is made of sufficient extent, yet I find that I can extend the crown of the last upwardly and rearwardly as far as necessary and at the same time remove a small portion from the side, as shown at P in Fig. 6, without destroying the symmetry of the last at points where such symmetry is necessary or desirable in the actual making of shoes upon the lasts. The interlocking of the parts in shortened relation also tends to prevent twisting of the parts. This interpenetrating feature of my invention is of the ut most importance and in actual practice makes the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful last for first work when formed without the gap extending into it from the top, which the ordinary hinged last has and which for many reasons is very objectionable. It enables the line of cut to begin at the bottom in front of the heel-plate and with a line of division which does not extend forward into the crown of the last. IVithout this interpenetrating of the parts as the heel part rises and moves forward the line of division would have to incline so much that it must begin either in front of the instep or terminate in the heel beyond the forward edge of the heelplate in order to give a sufficient shortening to permit easy insertion and withdrawal of the last from the shoe.

I have shown various ways of limiting the downward movement of the heel part relative to the fore part. In Fig. 1 a transverselypositioned bar Q is located in the path of one of the links. In Fig. 4 I have shown overlapping shoulders R and S, one on the fore partand the other on the heel part, and in Fig. 7 I have shown a bar T, carried by the link and in its normal position resting in registering grooves in the abutting faces of the fore and heel parts, respectively, a portion of a body of the last in the fore part eX- tending upwardly from the grooves therein as far as the bar goes in its upward movement, being channeled out, as seen at U, Fig. 7.

Some of the many advantages of my improved last are that the contour of the last remains practically unbroken at all points of contact with the shoe, that the last is locked yieldingl y and automatically both in its lengthened and shortened relations. that it can collapse sufficiently to permit ready insertion and removal without the line of division intersecting either the heel-plate or the instep, and that the parts being in contact from top to bottom the last is very strong and durable.

I do not claim herein, broadly, a last di vided transversely and connected by links pivotally mounted in the fore part and heel part, respectively, nor, broadly, the locking of the parts both in their lengthened and shortened relation, because these features form the subjectmatter of my former patent, N 0. 632.9942, of September 12, 1899.

Having thus described my invention and its use, 1 claim 1. A last dividedtransversely, the forward end of the heel part being provided with a recess lying wholly within the lateral walls thereof, portions of the top of the fore part on either side of the center being cut away, said recess being adapted to give entrance to the reduced top of the fore part for shortening the last when the heel part is moved upwardly relative to the fore part, and a union pivotally connecting the parts.

2. A transversely-(iivided last having contacting adjacent faces, a union pivotally con necting the parts, whereby the adjacent faces are free to move from contact in lengthened relation to contact in shortened relation and vice versa, a projection on one end of the union extending beyond the pivot-point and having a depression therein and a spring-actuated plunger positioned in the path of said projection beyond the pivot-point and tending to move in a direction outside the pivot-p0int, whereby the plunger enters said depression when the last is in shortened relation and automatically and yieldingly locks the parts in contact.

3. A last divided transversely on a line extending from the top diagonally downwardly toward the heel, a union pivotally connected one end to the fore part and the other end to 

